Colors
by RainyDayTreasure
Summary: Sometimes Sollux Captor wondered if the car crash that left him blind actually left him dead, and this was hell.
1. Chapter 1

_Sometimes Sollux Captor wondered if the car crash that left him blind actually left him dead, and this was hell._

Pale yellow morning light dripped through the blinds and fell onto the floor. Or, at least, that's what Sollux _assumed _was happening. Everything was coated in a murky blackness. It had been for five years now, ever since shards of glass and a blow to the head from a car crash resulted in his blindness and his girlfriend, Aradia's, death. It had taken some getting used to, the blindness _and _the death, but he had slowly moved on. _That was then, this is now, _he told himself, over and over, day after day. _No use mourning over the past. I can't change that._

Grudgingly, Sollux sat up in bed, feeling around on his nightstand for his sunglasses. He didn't really need them, of course, but their presence was somewhat comforting. He'd needed glasses before going blind, and the feeling of them on his face was reassuring. Blindness hadn't changed _everything. _It always felt like it goddamn had, though.

Tracing a hand along the wall, he made his way to the kitchen. The layout of his entire house was etched into his mind, and he could walk around freely and do chores without much help. In the earlier stages of blindness, his older brother had to do even the simplest tasks for him. Mituna had been patient and awfully nice, more so than he had been before the car crash, but not being able to do the most trivial of things, from doing laundry to making breakfast, was terribly frustrating.

The cupboard was almost empty, Sollux noticed, as he felt around it for a box of cereal. Grocery shopping was torture, but it was inevitable. Sollux hated going out in public in general. It wasn't like home, where he had memorized the position of everything. He constantly bumped into people and closely avoided crashing into things, even after years of practice with the long, thin cane he used to get around. People always asked if it needed help, which felt embarrassing and quite demeaning. He wanted to scream, _I'm not a cripple! I don't need your fucking help! _However, he just smiled pleasantly and said, "No, I'm all right. Thanks."

After a bowl of corn flakes and a glass of orange juice, Sollux went back to his bedroom to get dressed, pulled on a jacket, and took his cane from its usual place by the front door. Sighing, he reached out towards the door handle, then paused. A bump. A jolt. A scream. Searing pain. Then, nothing. Throwing his cane to the ground, Sollux sank down on his knees, face buried in his hands. _Why did that have to happen to _me_? Why me, God? Why me?_

The flashbacks came and went. Mituna was the only one who knew. He's suggested therapy, and Sollux had actually considered it, but had decided against it. He didn't need anybody's help anymore. Angrily wiping away the tears, Sollux picked up his cane and regained his composure. _That was then, this is now. That was then, this is now. That was then, this is now…_


	2. Chapter 2

(A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Those made me really happy! ^-^ I don't know how long I'm going to make this… O.o Well, anyway, here's chapter 2! ;D)

It was hot. Sollux felt sweat pricking his neck and arms as he walked down the busy sidewalk. He tapped his cane in front of him as he moved along, muttering an occasional "excuse me." The city pressed in around him, bustling with energy. Voices became louder and softer as he passed people, barely audible among the din of the street.

Sollux had gotten used to almost every aspect of blindness except the blindness itself. He missed being able see, but most of all he missed the color of the world. Countless people, upon hearing of his blindness, had tried to assure him that it was much better to have gone blind than to be born blind. "At least," they said, "you know what the world looks like, even if you can't see it anymore." Sollux disagreed. Ignorance was bliss, wasn't it? If the people who had been born blind never got to see the world, they wouldn't know what they were missing.

The streets became less crowded as Sollux neared the grocery store. He had been there thousands of times before going blind, so it was fairly easy to find it. A wave of cool, air-conditioned air hit him as he entered. The place smelled like fruit. He found what he needed mostly by asking other people, all of which were "Happy to help!" Soon, he had more cereal, a six-pack of 7-Up, and several other necessary food products. There was one more thing, though. What was it? Oh, of course. Bananas.

Fruits were a bit trickier than other foods to obtain, especially bananas. Sollux had absolutely no idea whether they were green or yellow. He asked a polite-sounding man where they were, found them, and waited. It wasn't long before the sound of feet approached him and a woman's voice said, "Can I help you, sir?" He smiled in the direction of the voice. "Yes, actually. I know it sounds a bit odd, but could you help me find ripe bananas?" "Oh, of course! Here, right here, got them? Yes, there. Oh, you're welcome!"

Sollux paid for the items and left the store. He didn't quite feel like going home, but he didn't want to just wander the streets. _I'll go to the library, then. _He quite liked the library. There were plenty of audiobooks to listen to, and nobody bothered him. It was another destination he had memorized the location of, so it didn't take much time to find it. As he found the entrance and began to open the door, however, something hit him out of nowhere.

M'kay! Cliffhanger! Sorry that was so short… I'm quite busy. I hope you liked it, though! Eridan shall appear soon. Yay EriSol!


	3. Chapter 3

(A/N: LOVEblackjackELF9: Aw yeah! 20% COOLER! Anyway, so…I'm trying to get these chapters done quick, but I've really only "planned" 1-3. I don't really know where I'm gonna go from here . Also, my mom's favorite punishment to give me is 'no computer time,' so I can write the chapters but I might not get them posted for a while! Here's chapter 3…)

"Whoa! Hey, sorry, didn't mean to crash into you!" Sollux lay flat on his back, quite dazed and wondering what the _hell_ just happened to him. He turned toward the voice. "Ah, it's all right…" He stood up slowly, rubbing the back of his head. "Is this yours?" Sollux felt something being pressed into his hand. Oh, his cane. "Yeah. Thanks." He stood where he was, feeling awkward. "Sorry again. What's your name?" Sollux paused. He had absolutely no idea who the person was. The voice sounded like a male's, tinged with a Scottish accent…or was that Irish?

From his years of being blind, Sollux had learned that blind people could be easily deceived by others. Heck, he knew that before going blind. Why tell this strange young man, who, to Sollux, was only a voice, what his name was? He faltered for a second. "….Sollux." "I'm Eridan. Eridan fuckin' Ampora. And _yes, _'fuckin'' is my middle name." The voice was smiling. Sollux smiled back and laughed a little. "It's…nice to meet you, Eridan fuckin' Ampora." He held out his hand, and the two exchanged an awkward, sweaty handshake.

There was a moment of silence, and Sollux wondered if Eridan had left. "…hey, Eridan?" "Yeah?" "Oh, never mind. I thought you'd left." "Naw. Did you need to go?" "No. Were you leaving?" "Yeah, but I could hang around. You seem like a cool guy. Were you going to the library?" "Uh…yeah, I guess." Sollux found the door again and pulled it open. The inside of the library was warm, not like outside, though, and smelled like old books and dust. Sollux had read, or, rather, listened to, the fact that people who were blind had stronger senses of, well, everything else. Which was good, he supposed, because he needed them to get around.

"You like the library? It's very nice, isn't it?" Eridan's voice interrupted Sollux's train of thought. The more Eridan talked, Sollux noticed, the more apparent his accent became. It was odd, not quite affecting any words except for those ending with "ing" and containing "w" or "v." "Huh? Oh, yeah. I like it. I came here all the time before…" He trailed off, feeling majorly self-conscious. "Goin' blind?" Eridan finished for him. "Yeah." "If you don't wanna talk about it, that's fine." "No, it's okay."

Sollux wandered around the building for a while. Eridan had said he needed to find a book, so Sollux was on his own. He ran his fingers along the spines of the books lined up neatly on their shelves. Yes, this was where he liked to be. In the library, just him and all those books, all those pages, all those words. He smiled. Eridan was nice, he supposed, but just a little- "Hey, Sol!" Sollux jumped a bit, turning to face Eridan's voice. "Oh, hi, E.D." "E.D?" Eridan sounded questioning. "...yeah. I'm 'Sol,' you're 'E.D.'" "Oh. Okay."

"Hey, Sol?" Sollux, who had gone back to walking, turned. "What?" "Well, I know blind people can read with Braille or whatever, but isn't that…kind a slow?" Sollux turned back to the books. "Yeah. But I just listen to audiobooks. Technology makes stuff way easier." "Huh. That makes sense." "Hey, speaking of audiobooks, do you mind is we go upstairs? That's where they keep all of them." "Oh, sure." Sollux found the elevator (much easier than taking the stairs) and pressed the button. He entered upon hearing the doors open, the sound of Eridan's footsteps behind him.

There were nice little rooms, soundproofed and filled with comfortable chairs, that Sollux liked to use. The audiobooks had their titles conveniently imprinted in Braille on their plastic covers, so finding one wasn't hard. _Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Scarlet. _The rooms were also used for conferences sometimes, so there were desks and computers to use. Sollux found a chair and carefully sat down, leaning his cane against the desk. He opened the audiobook case and inserted the disc into the computer.

As the disc started, he heard Eridan pull out a chair behind him and sit in it. He sat back in his chair and smiled. _You know, _he thought as Sherlock asked Watson if he'd been in Afghanistan, _maybe this guy isn't so bad. _

(A/N: Well, there you go! A bit longer than the others, but I didn't know where to end. Sorry if Eridan seems a bit OOC, HumanStuck is hard! D: So, anyway, they've met! Precious babies… ~~*~~(*w*)~~*~~)


	4. Author's Note - I'm sorry!

OMG I'm sorry, guys, but my mom and I literally JUST had a MAJOR fight and…I'm not allowed on the computer until DECEMBER. D: I'm R—E—Ely sorry. I guess this means I'm going to lose followers and stuff…man, this is bad. I WILL write, I'll write a ton, but I won't be able to get it posted. I'm sowwy TAT


	5. Chapter 4

(So, hey! I'm back! Merry Christmas to y'all. Or Happy Chanukah, or Happy Kwanza!)

"I guess I have to go…" Sollux slid his chair back and stood up, reaching for his cane. "I could walk with you," Eridan offered. Sollux shrugged. "Sure." The pair exited the library and started the walk towards Sollux's house. "That was pretty nice. I'm kinda glad I crashed into ya, Sol." "Yeah. Yeah, I'm glad too. Sollux said, half-smiling.

They walked on, making small talk as they did so. Soon they stood in front of Sollux's small suburban house. "So," Eridan began. "So?" "Wanna finish A Study in Scarlet later?" "Yeah." Sollux nodded. "But…before you go, can I ask you something?" "Shoot." "Could you tell me what you look like?"

Eridan was silent for a moment. Sollux immediately began to think that that had been an odd question to ask, and maybe it wasn't such a good idea to have asked at all. "Sure. I'm pretty tall and kinda skinny, except for my legs, yeah, I don't really like to work out. Anyway, I've got sandy blonde hair that stands on end. It's got a lighter stripe in the front 'cause I tried to dye it with bleach and water. I have blue eyes, freckles, and glasses. So, yeah, that's me."

Sollux listened carefully, trying to take it all in. He paused for just a second, and then brought his hand up to where he supposed Eridan's face would be. He'd done this before with other people; including himself, because hey, when you've been blind for a while you kind of forget what you looked like. Eridan murmured his consent and took Sollux's wrist, guiding the latter's hand to his cheek.

It was odd at first, touching Eridan's face; after all, they'd only known each other for a day. Sollux traced his finger over Eridan's forehead, the sharp outline of his somewhat crooked nose, the edges of his mouth, and then pulled his hand away. "Sorry…sorry." "No problem. See ya tomorrow." Sollux waited on his front porch until he couldn't hear Eridan's footsteps anymore. "Eridan fuckin' Ampora, huh?" he said, sighing. He fit his house key into the lock and opened the door, stepping carefully inside and shutting the door behind him.

(Uuhh…was that too short? I've got the next chapter already written, I just have to type it up, but it's soo late :P See you guys tomorrow! …Figuratively.)


	6. Chapter 5

(H-EY! Here's the next chapter! (#^w^#) It's just Sollux for now, but Eridan shall make a comeback! 3 )

Sollux checked the clock. Well, he pressed the little button on top that said the time out loud in a monotonous robot voice. It was one of those fancy contraptions designed to make life easier for the blind. "Twelve o' clock A.M." He groaned and pulled the bedsheets over his head, and then shoved them off and pressed the button again. "Twelve o' one A.M." "Why can't I fucking _fall asleep?!" _he asked the ceiling. It didn't answer.

His eyelids felt like lead, but the rest of him refused to follow their example. He began to think about Eridan. He wondered about what he looked like, and his mind began to form a picture, bit by bit. His new friend had blonde hair, brown freckles, pale skin, and deep blue eyes. Tall, lanky, and awkward. He probably wore some geeky t-shirt, Linkin Park or Doctor Who. And all the colors, so many colors on one young man…

Tears began to collect in the corners of Sollux's eyes, and his throat tightened. Oh, hell fucking _no, _he was _not _going to cry. Nevertheless, he rolled over onto his stomach and pressed his face into his pillow, squeezing his eyes shut. Here he was, sobbing into his sheets. _What a moron. _

He flopped back over and sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. Standing up shakily, he made his way towards the bathroom, tripping over his own feet. He reached for the handle of his medicine cabinet and pulled it open. The plastic bottles of pills were cold against his hand as he rummaged through the cabinet. Wrapping his hand around a random container, he pulled it out. He didn't know what they were and didn't care.

Back in the bedroom, Sollux twisted open the bottles and tipped it into his hand. A few capsules spilled out into his palm. He considered them for a second and dropped them onto the mattress, pushing them around with one finger. Thoughts were racing through his mind at a mile a minute, and his throat was dry. He dried his face with his sleeve, clearing the tears. He'd never been a "graceful" crier. The thought made him smile, but the expression quickly faded.

He took one of the pills and placed it on his tongue. It tasted slightly sweet and a bit…dusty, for lack of a better word. However, most of all, it tasted like _fear. _He quickly spat it into his hand. Setting the bottle on his nightstand, he swept the rest of the pills onto the floor, listening as they skittered across it. _I can't die today, _he thought, wrapping himself in his sheets. _I've got a friend to listen to Sherlock Holmes with, and I shouldn't let him down, can I?_

(Man, I got depressed writing this. Poor Sollux. I don't know if I'll get the next chapter done by tomorrow, but I will soon!)


	7. Chapter 6

(EriSol is legit the best ship. I mean, EriFef is cute, and so is any other ship with Eridan, but EriSol has got to be the best. Also, they could be matesprites, moirails, OR kismesises. Seriously. I love them.)

_Beep. Beep. Beeeep. _Eridan groaned and lazily reached for his alarm clock and poked at it until he hit the snooze button. His room was fuzzy and dull until he slipped his glasses onto his face. "Hey, chief! You up?" He looked up to see his brother, standing in the doorway wearing nothing but his boxers. A cigarette, unlit, dangled from the corner of his mouth. Cronus never lit his cigarettes. Their father had, and he'd died from lung cancer just two months ago. Only Cronus had been around long enough to remember their mother.

"Go the fuck away, Cro." Eridan grimaced at his brother. "Why should I?" "Don't be so fuckin' immature." "Aw, c'mon, chief, I'm just teasing you!" Snarling, Eridan stormed to the door and slammed it shut, leaving Cronus just enough time to jump out of the way. "You're the one being immature!" he heard Cronus say. His voice was muffled, yet Eridan could still hear the venom dripping from it.

_What a perfect way to begin my morning, _Eridan mused angrily. When he and Feferi were dating, she happily let him stay at her house. Sure, her sister was rude and her mother a little intimidating, but at least they were better than Cronus. But no, she'd dumped him. And then there was dad's death. Life just wasn't going very well… _At least I met Sollux. Maybe he'll let me stay at his house or something. _He pulled on jeans and a t-shirt. _Ah, fuck no. He'd think I was being weird. _

"Whatcha doin' today?" Cronus grinned as Eridan sat down at the kitchen table. "None a' your business," Eridan retorted, shoving a spoonful of cereal into his mouth. "Why do you forsake me so, chief? I'm just trying to hold a conversation with you," Cronus said dramatically, holding a hand to his heart. Eridan glared at his brother. "You're pathetic," he sneered, standing up and dumping the rest of his cereal in the sink. "And I'm goin' to the library, that's what I'm doin'."

Eridan actually had no idea what time Sollux was going to be at the library. He didn't want to ask for his phone number, because that would've either sounded like he was a stalker or a flirt. He just decided to go early and hope for the best. It was summer vacation, after all. He had all the time in the world. On the way out, he made sure to slam the door extra hard. "_I said you were the immature one!" _Cronus called after him. Maybe he was right.

(H-EH H-EH H-EH! Eridan's got a troubled past as well! *rubs hand together* I had a lot of fun writing this chapter because I was mad at my sister and felt like Eridan. This was my vent. Don't get me wrong, I love Cronus, but…Eridan doesn't. :3)


	8. Chapter 7

(Of COURS-E Cronus doesn't light his cigarettes! He's too much of a derp to do that. Meenah's pretty hard-core, though. Once she smoked an entire cig without coughing.)

Sollux sprawled over a chair in one of the conference rooms, utterly bored. He didn't want to start A Study in Scarlet until Eridan arrived, but he didn't want to listen to anything else. Maybe Eridan didn't know when to come…_fuck! I forgot to tell E.D. what time! _He mentally kicked himself. _Should I wait? What if Eridan comes hours from now? What if he doesn't come at all?! _He mentally kicked himself again. _Now I sound like a girl waiting for her crush. _After a moment's contemplation, he decided that he'd wait. If Eridan was smart, he would come soon. Sighing, he slid down in the chair and crossed his arms.

"Sol?" Sollux jumped, his pulse quickening for a second and then returning to normal. He glanced in the direction of Eridan's voice. "Oh, you're here." "Way to not tell me what time to come." "Geez, I'm sorry. You could've asked." "You could've just told me. Anyway, wanna read-…er-listen?" Sollux nodded. He'd found the tape and gotten it ready, so all he had to do was press "Play."

The pair fell silent as they listened. Sollux tried to pay attention to the story, but he was aware of every other sound as well – his heartbeat, Eridan constantly shifting positions, the _whirr _of the library computer as it played the tape. Judging from the noise, Eridan was sitting right next to him. He suddenly felt embarrassed; which only made him more ashamed. He'd just met Eridan, and, although he didn't have anything against being gay, he _wasn't. _Eridan probably didn't have any feelings towards him besides being a friend. _Jesus fucking Christ, this is turning out to be like one of K.K.'s stupid rom-coms. _

Eridan glanced over at Sollux, who seemed to be focused on the tape. The black-haired young man was tall, just a little shorter than him, and extremely thin. He was also a little…handsome? No, he wasn't _handsome_. Cute, maybe. Eridan felt oddly uncomfortable and quickly looked away, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling instead. _No. He's handsome._

He'd never really paid much attention to the world. When they broke up, Feferi had accused Eridan of being "cold-hearted." Back then, he'd had no excuse. Since his father had died, though, he felt he was justified for hating everyone and everything. Sure, on the outside, he seemed friendly enough. But inside, he was filled with loathing.

Sollux, although he'd only been around for a day and a half, seemed different. He was a little snarky, but he was amiable. Eridan wasn't sure how he felt toward him; however, he knew it wasn't hate. Far from it. Which, in his opinion, was a rare feeling. You'd have to be pretty special for Eridan to not hate you.

-(Time skip brought to you by Dave Strider)—

"Jesus. How long have we been here?" Sollux stretched and shrugged. "Dunno. Do you have to go?" "Not really, but it's like three in the afternoon." They hadn't stopped at A Study in Scarlet, oh no, they'd gone through around eight . "When did we start?" "About ten in the morning."

He heard Eridan stand up and did the same. "So. What do we do now?" "Don't ask _me. _You're the one who invited me here." "Actually, you were the one who _suggested _we finish the story." Eridan sighed. "Do you want to do anything else?" "We could…get lunch or something."

"Uh. Sure?" Sollux grinned at Eridan's surprised tone. "It's not a date, dumbass." "I know!" Eridan's voice had gone up a notch. Sollux felt weirdly amused by his flustered-sounding friend. "So why do you sound so surprised?" "It's just…I haven't been…you know…_out _with anyone in a while? I mean, not like _that _kind of out…" Laughing and grabbing his cane, Sollux started out of the library. "I guess this is a date, then?" "It's _not._" "Whatever you say, E.D."

(For some reason I had a really hard time writing this chapter. I started yesterday and it took me like two hours to finish today. Anyway, dorks in love? Hell yeah.)


	9. Author's Note - Hiatus

A/N: I'm sorry for the lack of chapters, but I'm taking a short hiatus. Going back to school is gonna be hectic, so I probably won't get much done for about a week or so. Sorry! I love you all! *blows kiss*


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